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Glite Dictionary
to keep a low profile

to keep a low profile

41 3.9
Act quietly so people do not notice you
  • idiom
: pasar desapercibido
  • To avoid unnecessary attention from the media, the celebrity chose to keep a low profile during the event.
  • try to keep a low profile

So I, of course, being me, couldn't keep a low profile.

Examples

Synonyms

to lie low
vsto keep a low profile
  • Informal
78 5.6

To stay out of sight to avoid trouble

focuses on acting quietly without necessarily hiding physically
to fly under the radar
vsto keep a low profile
  • Informal
6 5.9

To avoid being noticed by other people

is about deliberate low visibility rather than specific blending tactics
to slip under the radar
vsto keep a low profile
  • Informal
1 6.3

To go unnoticed by people or officials

implies a deliberate choice to avoid attention rather than accidental invisibility
to keep to oneself
vsto keep a low profile
1 5.4

To not tell others your thoughts or feelings

focuses on avoiding notice outwardly rather than being simply private
to keep one's head down
vsto keep a low profile
6.3

Avoid getting noticed to stay out of trouble

is used more broadly to avoid being noticeable for any reason

Antonyms

to draw attention
152 2.5

To make people notice something or someone

How Noticeable

to keep a low profile
41 3.9
to lie low
  • Informal
78 5.6
to fly under the radar
  • Informal
6 5.9

Surface Forms

keep a low profile infinitive

Morphology

keep + a + low + profile

The meaning is directly compositional: 'keep' (maintain) + 'low' (reduced) + 'profile' (level of public attention) yields 'maintain a reduced level of attention'. This logic is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish mantener un perfil bajo, French garder un profil bas), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would very likely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

The idiom keep a low profile comes from the idea of making your profile, the shape people see, low, like ducking down or staying in the shadows. So it means 'to avoid attracting attention'.